Oil separator



Oct. 24, 1933. T. M. LAWSON 1,931,764

OIL SEPARATOR Filed July 30, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 a T/lomas p7. Lawson,

ifforneya Oct. 24, 1933. M, LAWSON 1,931,764

OIL SEPARATOR Filed July 30, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 -oil Fly. 4.-

- Oil Wafer line,

/Aren7or, /Yomac M L an/don,

Oct. 24, 1933. T LAWSON OIL SEPARATOR Filed July 30, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 2 Oil Inventor Thomas M. Lawson,

Patented Oct. 24, 1933' 01L SEPARATOR Thomas M. Lawson, Indianapolis, Ind., assignor to National Renovating Machine Manufacturing Corporation Application July 30, 1930. Serial No. 471,813

4 Claims.

This invention relates to the art of cleaning wash oil which has become impregnated with dirt and lint from washing used journal box waste and has for its primary object the provision of means whereby such oil may be restored to substantiallyits original condition without distillation, acid treatment or heating to high temperatures. I

My invention embodies primarily the method of first mechanically separating foreign matter from the oil while hot by straining, then, step by step, washing and cooling the oil through water at successively lower temperatures, straining the oil at each step, and, in describing the process in detail, reference is made to the accompanying drawings in more or less diagrammatic form, in which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic layout nism I employ; I

Fig. 2, a fragmentary perspective view of one corner of the wash tank;

Fig. 3, a transverse, horizontal section on the line 3-3 through the outlet screen of the wash tank in Fig. 2; V

Fig. 4, a fragmentary elevation of the first separating unit;

Fig. 5, a horizontal transverse section on the line 5-5 in Fig. 4; I

Fig. 6, a fragmentary perspective view of the second separating unit; and

of the mecha- Fig. '7, a fragmentary perspective view of the.

third unit.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views in the drawings.

In oneend of the wash tank 10,1 provide an oil discharge pipe 11. The tank 10 is adapted to contain lubricating oil as a medium in which to wash out used journal box waste which is soaked and stirred around in the oil to wash outthe. heavy congealed oil and foreign particles such as sand, einders, Babbitt metal, etc. The temperature of the oil in the wash tank 10 is preferably maintained around 1'75 degrees Fahrenheit. The pipe 11 has a vertical leg projecting down into the tank 10, which leg is surrounded by a screen 12 at its lower end. Spaced outwardly from and around the screen 12, is second screen 13, cylindrical in shape, and provided with a ring gear 14 around its lower end, which gear meshes with the spur gears 15, 16 and 17 which may rotate on fixed centers.

A ring gear 18 meshes with these three gears 15, 16, and 17 from their outer sides and is fixed on the third screen 19 which encloses the two inner screens 12 and 13. A shaft 20 extends downwardly within thetank 10 and carries a spur gear 21 in mesh with a ring gear 22 carried on the outer side of the screen 19. By revolving the shaft 20, the screens 13 and 19 may be revolved. so that the friction between the body of oil andthe screen may tend to wipe off fine particles of dirt and lint from the surface of the screens. As a further aid in preventing such matter from stopping up the screens, I mount a brush 23', having a curved back, diagonally around the screen 19 so that as the screen revolves, the bristles of the brush will have a tendency to brush off the matter and direct it toward the lower part of the'tank 10.

From the tank 10, oil is pumped through the pipe 11 by the pump 24 into the top of the first separating unit, generally designated by the numeral 24, where the oil is sprayed from the dis-. tributor pfpe .25, Fig. 4, transversely across the endless screen 26 which is revolved continuously around the rollers 27, 28, 29 and 30. On the outer side, between the rollers 29 and 30, I mount a brush 31 to be in contact with the screen so as to brush off the lint and foreign matter adhering thereto as the screen passes downwardly and drain such matter off in the trough 31. A collecting pan 32 is positioned under the upper part of the screen to catch the oil falling therethrough, the oil being fed onto the screen at the proper rate in proportion to the travel of the screen so that the oil has passed through the screen before being carried over the end.

A pipe 33 leads from the under side of the pan 32 and projects into the tank 34 to have a pluralty of laterally extending distributor pipes 35 connected to the lower end thereof in proximity to the bottom of the tank. A cylindrical wall 36 is fixed to the bottom of the tank and a coil of. steam heating pipe 37 is carried therein. Water is placed within the wall 36 to have its level about half the depth thereof so that part of the pipe 3'7 is above the water level. A plurality of removable screens 38, here shown as four in number are positioned around the top edge of the wall 36 as upward extensions thereof. Oil discharged from the distributor pipes 35 passes upwardly through the water to float thereon and reach a level such that the ol may discharge through the screens 38 and flow down around the outside of the wall 36. By means of steam flowing through thepipe 37,. the water Within the wall 36 and the oil above the water are maintained at a temperature substantially at 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

A second cylindrical wall 39 is placed in the tank. 34 intermediate the outer enclosing wall and the inner Wall 36 and carries a plurality of removable screens 40 around its upper edge similar to the screens 38. Cylindrical bafiie walls 41 and 42 are respectively suspended between the walls 36 and 39, and between the wall 39 and. the outer wall of the tank 34 to have the lower edges of the baffle walls spaced above the bottom of the tank 34 to provide passages thereunder. Water is placed between the respective walls'to have approximately the same level as within the wall 36 so that the lower ends of the baflle walls 41 and 42 are immersed in the water for a substantial depth. Oil pouring through the screens 38 passes down through the water between the walls 36 and a 39 under the baiiie wall 41 and up, out through the screens 40, down through the water between the wall 39 and the outer tank wall,'under the baffie wall 42, and up, out the removable screens 43 wh ch are positioned around the top edge of the tank wall. From the screens 43, the oil discharges into the collecting tank 44 surrounding the screens 43. The screens 38, 40, and 43 are removable to permit their being drawn out for.

cleaning, it being permissible to remove any one set of screens at a time without seriously interfering with the oil filtering process.

A pipe line 4-5 conducts the oil from the collecting tank into the second separating. unit generally designated by the numeral 46. This unit consists essentially of a tank divided into a plurality of compartments, here shown as three in number, by the dividing walls 4'? and 48, the upper ends of which terminate with removable screens 49 and 50 respectively; Thesescreens are preferably made in superimposed sections whereby one section may be withdrawn for cleaning. and another section remains in place so that, in'cleaning, a screen section is always in place. Each of the various compartments in the unit is further divided by baifie walls 51, 52, and 53 respectively, the lower edges of which terminate at a distance above the floor of the compartmentsj Water is placed in all compartments to a depth to submerge the lower ends of the baffle walls therein for a substantial distance. Oil discharges from the pipe 45 into the first compartment, passes through the water around under the baffle wall 51 and flows through the screen 49, down through the water under the baiile wall 52, up and out through the screen 59, down through the water under the bafifle wall 53 and to top of the water in the last compartment. Each coinpartment is provided with a coil of-piping 54, 55, and 56 respectively, through which steam may be passed. These coils are placed to be normally partly in the water and partly in the oil, and are supplied with steam to maintain the temperature of the oil through the unit substantially at 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

' A discharge pipe 57, with a screen 53 over its inlet conducts oil from thelast compartment of the unit 46 through the pump 59 and into the first compartment of the third separating unit generally designated by the numeral 60. The separating unit 60 is substantially a duplicate of the second unit 46, being divided into compartments by the partition walls 6l,'and 62, with the upper ends thereof being formed of removable screens 64 and 65, baiile' walls 66, and 67, and 68 between the" partition walls and the unit end walls, and coils of piping 69, 70, and 71 in each respective compartment. However, in the third unit 60,.the respective coils are employed to cool down the oil in each compartment to a temperature lower than in the preceeding compartment so that either steam or a cooling medium is circulated through the coils dependent upon the atmospheric temperature. I The temperature of the oil is reduced, for example to 100 degrees in the first compartment, 60 degrees in the second compartment, and 50 degrees in the last compartment. Under some conditions, I even reduce the temperature in the last compartment to around freezing. At these lower temperatures, the oil does not how as readily in the second unit and I provide transfer pipes '73 and '73 between the compartments each having a pump '74 in the line and a screen 75 over the intake end, to transfer the oil from one compartment to the next after the oil has through the water in the preceding compartment.

The oil is ready to be drawn off for use again in the wash tank from the last compartment of the unit 56 by means of the pump '76, a screen 77 pl ced around the intake end of the pip '28 leading to the pump 7 6. p

I claim:

i. In apparatus for separating lint and foreign matter from used journal box waste wash oil comprising rotat i screen means for removing the heavier foreign matter, a movable screen, a tank, for collecting oil from under the screen and discharging the oil near the floor oi. the tank, an inner wall within the tank, a screen at the top of the wall, and a baffie wall between said inner wall and the tank wall having a passage thereunder, and washing, filtering and cooling means for the final separation of the foreign matter.

2. In apparatus for separating lint and foreign matter from used journal box waste wash oil comprising rotating screen means for removing the heavier foreign matter, a movable screen, a tank, means for collecting oil from under the screen and discharging the oil near the floor of the tank, an inner wall within thetank, a screen the top of wall, and a baiile wall between said inner wall and the tank wall having a passage thereunder, and a brush contacting said screen for removing adhering matter therefrom, and washing, filtering and cooling means Ifor the final separation-oi the forei n matter.

3. An oil separating unit comprising means for removing the heavier foreign matter comprising moving screens and brushes, a tank, partition walls in the tank defining a plurality of compartments, 9. bafile wall-depending in each compartment with a passageway thereunder, a screen at the top of each partition wall, and an individual THOMAS M. LAWSON. 

